Capture The Flag
by islandofhopex
Summary: It was never a normal game of Capture The Flag when the Avatar kids were involved. Takes place a few years after The Heroes of Olympus, so beware of spoilers.


Azula beamed with pride as she entered the pavilion with the red team's silk flag, painted plain white with a lightning bolt shining in the center. She knew she would end this game the same way, even though her teammates were looking at her apprehensively…

"Um, Azula?" Aang said nervously. "It's great that your cabin won the last game for us, but what's your plan for this one?"

Azula rolled her eyes, but it barely hid how excited she was to share her new plan. "Well, to capture the blue team's flag, we'll need more than just violence. We'll need someone who knows how to use their weaknesses against them, someone very _persuasive_, if you know what I mean…" Azula smiled over at Ty Lee, who nodded eagerly.

"But we'll still need some backup, so Aang, if something goes wrong, get your Hermes kids to pull some tricks—or whatever it is you guys do," Azula went on, and only Aang could still smile through that snide remark.

"_Ahem_, are _we_ going to get to actually do something for a change?" Toph spoke up.

"Well, I was _going _to put your cabin on backup for protecting our flag, but if you're implying that doing something would trouble you weaklings…" Azula's voice drifted off, making Toph shake the ground in indignation. _Perfect—she's already getting worked up._

"And, of course, I'll be the main guard for our flag, just like last time," Azula finished. If anyone had anything against the plan, their leader's malicious smile stopped them from saying so. She allowed her eyes to shift over to the "competition," a word which she used very loosely.

* * *

><p>"Alright, we <em>have<em> to win this one," Zuko insisted. The boar soaked in blood that rested on their banner, signifying the distant time when Ares had won the game for them, was only becoming a depressing reminder of how long it had been since they'd won.

"It will be," Katara said confidently, but the rest of the team didn't look so optimistic. "Sokka, tell them about the plan you kept me up talking about."

"Our flag will be right by the creek," Sokka started, "so I figure I'll make the best border patrol.

"Then for backup, Katara and Jet," he went on, wincing at the latter's name—he had never forgiven that heartless son of Nemesis for breaking his sister's heart. "I don't exactly trust you, and I know she doesn't either, but you've got good determination, and she's got good skills, so…"

Katara grimaced, but Jet smiled, thinking only of how sweet it'd be to avenge his team against the red.

"The Ares kids will go after the red team's flag, and Mai…"

Mai looked a smidge surprised to hear her name called. "You'll be their backup," Sokka said, "because you're good with… you know, um, killing things?"

The girl just rolled her eyes. Before Sokka could wrap it up with some extra encouragement, a son of Hephaestus spoke up.

"Wait, I thought I was supposed to go after the red flag," Zuko said in irritation.

"Zuko, come on, you know who they'll have guarding it," Sokka grumbled, already getting distracted by the counselor entering the pavilion.

"I'm telling you, I can take her this time!" Zuko defended, but with uncontrolled fire already brewing in his fists, it was hard for any of them to trust him.

"Yeah, that's what you said last time," Katara remarked. Before Zuko could protest any further, Sokka hushed them, pointing unsubtly to the centaur preparing to speak.

* * *

><p>"Heroes, I want a clean game. Mild attacks are encouraged, but no serious injuries. This game is designed to test you on your skills, but it's still just a game. As wonderful as our healing ambrosia tastes, good health always tastes sweeter…"<p>

Most of the campers tuned out after that. They hadn't expected anything less from Iroh, but it was just as annoying. Their attention only snapped back to reality when the tables were suddenly filled with weapons.

"Of course, the shiny equipment is the only part they actually stay awake for," Pakku said from beside his co-counselor, but Iroh took it all in stride.

"It's certainly a start. In time, they'll stay awake for all of it."

Pakku looked skeptical, but as everyone was already geared up and waiting for Iroh to blow his conch horn, he said nothing.

* * *

><p>"<em>For Zeus!<em>" Azula screamed as the teams stormed into the forest. She easily found a meaningless spot in the north side of the forest to place the red team's flag. She knew they would be looking for her at Zeus' First or something, so it was perfect. Her backup was within shouting distance, but she was certain she wouldn't find reason to call for it.

Meanwhile, Ty Lee was right on schedule. The blue team's flag had been easy enough to find, and now all she had to do was work her natural abilities.

"Don't come any closer!" Sokka said, instinctively drawing water from the creek and aiming it at the enemy.

"_Ugh_," Ty Lee whined as she tried to shake the water off. "You ruined my clothes!"

"Oh, I'm so _sorry_, that little bit of water must be killing you," Sokka remarked.

"You should be sorry!" Ty Lee cried. "These were brand new! I thought at least a nice guy like you would have more respect for a _lady_."

Sokka furrowed his brows. "I… didn't think about it that way…"

"It's a shame," Ty Lee said, stepping closer. "You're actually kind of cute, and we could make a pretty good team if you'd just look past your prejudices…"

Looking into those big brown eyes, Sokka couldn't help but blush. Maybe she wasn't so bad after—

"_Di immortals!_" he heard an angry boy yell as he and Ty Lee were soaked to the bone.

"Wha… what happened?" Sokka said in confusion, looking from his furious backups to Ty Lee being forced away from his team's flag.

"She was Charmspeaking you, you idiot!" Katara reprimanded as she swept the enemy away with a small rush of water.

"She nearly took the flag! How could you be so _stupid_?" Jet yelled.

"Hey, I'm not stupid," Sokka defended. "I don't remember how she got so close, but at least I was smart enough to make you two my backups!"

* * *

><p>In spite of the fact that they were having trouble locating the red team's flag, the Ares kids were feeling pretty confident. It had been about five minutes, and Azula hadn't screamed victory yet, which was already an improvement on last time. They had no doubt that victory was right around the corner. They were the children of war; this game was <em>theirs<em>.

But, distantly, they heard someone yelling: "Come on, you pansies, you're the ones who give children of Demeter a bad name!" They didn't think much of it. What could some dumb flowers do to them?

Suddenly, they began to get tangled in the vines. Still, they didn't think much of it. It was nothing their knives couldn't handle, right? But the more they tried to cut them, the more they grew and _grew_ until the demigods couldn't even see where they were going.

"You guys are predictable as always," the blue team's backup said with a yawn. "You forgot one little flaw in your plan."

And, just as suddenly as the vines had gripped the campers, they fell down and died, revealing Mai smirking at an angry Toph.

"_Gah_, hopeless niece, must you ruin our perfect chance at glory?" she screamed.

"There's not much glory in the old, tired vine trick," Mai drawled.

Toph's eyes flashed with fury. "Oh, you want something more _dangerous?_" Toph threatened, raising her best poisons and gesturing for Haru and the rest of her siblings to do the same. "We'll show you _dangerous!_"

When a fight broke out, the children of Ares couldn't help but join in. Some of them knew that they lacked the advantage, and they should probably move on, but who were they to turn down a fight?

* * *

><p>It was perfect. Well, almost perfect. He knew his teammates hadn't exactly wanted him to take the role, but the designated catchers were busy, and she—it—was <em>right there<em>. His teammates would understand.

"Zuzu, your master of surprise never ceases to amaze me."

"Every time," Zuko said through gritted teeth. "Ugh, surprise or not, I am getting that flag!"

Zuko brought out his fire without hesitation, but Azula fought right back with her lightning. "You're so silly—still trying to act like this is about the _flag_."

"What are you trying to _say?_" Zuko demanded. His fire was burning as fiercely as ever, but it was uncontrolled, unrefined.

"Oh, nothing," Azula sighed, using a shield against every ball of fire. "Just that you should probably spend some time in therapy, working out your family issues, before you try to take them out on me. Bitterness isn't pretty, Zuzu."

"I don't _have_ family issues!" Zuko yelled, singing his own shirt with his fire.

"Oh please. The first step to getting over your problem is admitting you have one," Azula said with a smirk. "You're just mad because you're the product of our waste of a mother getting it on with a waste of a god, while _I_ am the product of said mother getting it on with the god of all gods."

Zuko fought harder than ever then, the flag forgotten. It was one thing for her to trash talk him, but their mother was another story.

"You're the one who's _bitter!_" he retorted. "You're always bringing up mom, like you just can't accept how things turned out between you two! I'd say you're the one who needs therapy!"

Azula's eyes flashed dangerously as she shoved her half-brother into a tree. Azula had taken it too far, but so had he, and because he was Zuko, he felt sort of guilty, even as he gripped his pained stomach.

When Zuko's pain settled enough for him to look around, he realized that the tree he was laying against was catching fire; the combination of fire and lightning had just been too much.

As Azula began to walk away, Zuko swore he saw a twinge of hesitation in her eyes. But just like that, it was gone.

"I've got a flag to protect, Zuzu. You can just die for all I—"

But then a conch horn sounded, and cheers and boos broke out, and it was just a game again.

* * *

><p>Iroh seemed honestly wounded to see the blue team's victory interrupted by Zuko's injury. Zuko was taken to the infirmary, and though Iroh followed, he could hear the explosions continuing behind them.<p>

There was a mixture of people mourning the way the win had come (even Sokka, who had been so eager to taste victory, found it tasted bitter), and people who couldn't have cared less (Jet was just glad to see the red team wearing the gloomy faces for once).

All of the campers who hadn't been directly involved wanted to hear the full story, and though some of the participants refused, others gladly shared, which excited the campers and exasperated their counselor.

"So, let me get this straight. Sokka and Katara beat the Hermes kids because they were more willing to use aggressive methods, other campers were distracted by petty battles of pride, which simultaneously gave some vengeful jerk a chance to capture the flag and landed some _bitter_ jerk in the infirmary… and you demigods are cheering?"

Pakku's rant was barely acknowledged. "Typical. I suppose this is what I get for supporting my mother in the war," he finished, ruefully shooting ice into the ground as he walked away.

"Well, _I_ had fun," Ty Lee said to a morose Azula, which only seemed to make things worse.

"And look on the bright side," Aang stepped in, "after everyone is cleaned up, we get to watch Apollo's Ember Island Players in the amphitheater!"

And Azula wished she was still in the counselors' good graces so she could hit him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Some parts were probably confusing, so let me clarify. The red team consisted of Azula (daughter of Zeus, but with the same mother as Zuko), Ty Lee (Charmspeaking daughter of Aphrodite), Aang (son of Hermes), Toph (daughter of Demeter), Haru (son of Demeter), and other nameless demigods. The blue team consisted of Sokka (son of Poseidon— same mother as Katara), Katara (daughter of Poseidon— same mother as Sokka), Zuko (son of Hephaestus, but with the same mother as Azula), Mai (daughter of Persephone), Jet (son of Nemesis), and other nameless demigods. The counselors were Iroh (centaur) and Pakku (son of Khione who, for supporting her in the war against Olympus, was punished by being forced to work at Camp Half-Blood). I think that clears it all up, but if you have any more questions, ask in a review. :)


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